Some of the techniques are specific to Maya and mental ray, yet the concepts apply to any software.

More than just lights
But the 200-minute video also shows that lighting isn’t just about lights. Rather than focusing only on those parts of a scene that are lit – with shade being whatever is left – the Japanese concept of ‘Nōtan‘ (the interplay of light and dark) holds that the two are complementary, and more than the sum of their parts.

According to Gnomon: “The [motivation for the] DVD is to bring more awareness to the infinite possibilities that the concept of darkness offers the artist”.

About the instructor
Frederic Durand is a leading lighting artist with over 20 years’ experience in animated films, features and commercials, at studios including Sony Pictures Imageworks, Disney Animation, DreamWorks, The Jim Henson Company, The Mill, MPC and Digital Domain.

His approach to lighting is not only technical but artistic, emphasising and integrating aspects of cinematography. He is also the co-founder of design and visualisation firm Noroc Studio.

Light and Shadow is available now in The Gnomon Workshop’s online store as a digital download, price $59, with a DVD release to follow.